


Mortal

by waterbird13



Series: Tumblr Fics [180]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Sam's prior deaths, Sam's scars, Scars, musing on mortality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 07:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8047009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterbird13/pseuds/waterbird13
Summary: Cas looks at the scar and sees what he could lose.





	Mortal

**Author's Note:**

> This is another piece from Tumblr.
> 
> Warnings: it's about mortality and scars and Sam's previous deaths.

Cas knows what he’s touching. The angels had been watching the Winchesters closely, when Sam took Jake Talley’s knife to his spine and bled out on that hillside, grasped in his brother’s arms. After all, the pieces were being laid in place for the greatest war in all of history.

Still, they’ve never talked about it before. It’s just something Cas knows, like he knows details of Sam’s childhood that were never shared. He touches the scar gently, reverently almost, letting his fingers connect this physical body to what happened to Sam. It’s not just angel gossip anymore. It’s real, and Sam experienced it.

“Does it still hurt?” Cas asks quietly.

Sam twists a bit, but not enough to throw Cas’ hands off. “Nah,” he says. “Been a long time. Tell you the truth, I can’t even…well, I can’t see it, right? So I forget it’s there, sometimes.”

That’s probably a good thing, although Cas knows better than to think that the memories of being stabbed by a man Sam trusted, killed when he was so close to success, to victory over Azazel and his plans, would dissipate as easily as memories of the physical reminder of the event.

The demon who did the deal didn’t have the courtesy to take the scar away when they brought the body back. They should have, if they were any good at their job. Scars certainly are easier than raising the dead. Perhaps it was meant to be a reminder. A reminder that Sam was mortal, that he could die and be taken away.

But Sam cant see the scar. It’s a reminder to Dean, Cas thinks hazily.

A reminder to Cas, too, although the demons couldn’t have known that at the time, would never have guessed it. A reminder that people have hurt Sam, will hurt him again.

He reminds himself to keep his touches light. Angels are strong, angels not paying attention don’t know their own strength, and Sam doesn’t deserve a single bit of more pain in his life.

He keeps stroking the wold, gnarled wound. Sam stares at him. “It doesn’t bother me,” he reiterates. “Although I guess it’s probably pretty ugly.”

It’s not pretty, but it’s Sam. Nothing about Sam is ugly. “It’s fine,” Cas says, continuing to stroke the skin. “Can you feel this?”

Sam shrugs. “Skins not very sensitive. Scar tissue sometimes isn’t.”

Cas nods. He knows this too. So he trails his skin up Sam’s back, finding a more sensitive patch of skin, waiting until he gets a tiny shiver out of Sam.

He touches Sam, makes the shivers increase until Sam is shaking and moaning for him. The whole time, he can see the scar, knotted skin on Sam’s lower back. It’s impossible to forget it’s there.

It’s a reminder. A reminder Sam can be lost. That he needs to do his part on helping Sam be safe, and he needs to treasure him while he has him. Castiel strengthens his resolve to do just that.


End file.
